Movies Over Games, James

Sony Bravia 85ZH8 Review

Is one of the best 8K TVs in the market right now ideal for video games too?

Sony’s second-gen 8K television, the ZH8, claims to be a good fit for PlayStation5 gaming apart from being a top all-around TV set. Do such claims hold after extensive testing? (Image credit: Sony)

While televisions sporting 33 million-pixel screens have not yet convinced everyone that they are worth the premium prices they still command over “normal” televisions — yes, that would be 4K TVs now — manufacturers will be releasing many more such models in 2021 regardless of that fact. The 8K TV category is here to stay, even if it’s practically forced on consumers at the moment: most manufacturers reserve advanced panel technologies (the ones capable of offering the best possible picture) for the 8K models, while 4K TVs get the “last-gen” treatment or inferior quality screens to work with. This leaves no choice to demanding consumers but to “go 8K” earlier than they probably would otherwise.

Sony was not the first one to hop on the 8K bandwagon, but when it did it was in typical Sony style with the super-impressive, super-expensive Bravia ZG9. That television was not going to help the Japanese gain any market share, though, so a year later the more affordable Bravia ZH8 was introduced. That was also the year the PlayStation5 launched worldwide and the ZH8 was one of only two TV models in Sony’s lineup that the company deemed to be “PS5-ready” — the other one was the much more affordable Bravia XH90, reviewed here — based on certain features that second 8K TV offers.

An 8K Sony TV “more affordable” than its predecessor is still a high-end proposition that does not come exactly cheap. (Image credit: Sony)

The 85-inch version of this TV I’ve lived with for more than 90 days now. From a gamer’s perspective, as well as from the perspective of a consumer looking for the best all-around TV for general use, does the ZH8 deliver? If not, why? What’s it like to game in 8K with a TV as expensive as this — it went for $9000/€10000 at the time of writing — and do all those 33 million pixels make a difference?

Deluxe design, sound on another level

First things first: this is Sony’s flagship LED/LCD TV for 2020 and it shows. Its premium design immediately impresses — despite the fact that this is not a thin television — being modern, spartan but…